“The FIA has reinvested in the World Endurance Championship, which is going to offer Aston Martin Racing the challenges it looks for when competing in the top level of motorsport,” said Team Principal of Aston Martin Racing, Paul Howarth. “Our heritage in the sport, and our track record shows that we are all about delivering race wins and championship titles, and we look forward to fighting for both in the new Super Season format, which also offers us the opportunity to return to Sebring in America and race at great circuits like Silverstone and Spa. We are expecting the competitiveness of the GTE Pro category to be at the highest level ever, with a massive talent pool of drivers as well as leading car manufacturers, which will lift the standard of racing to a level it’s not seen before in WEC.”

(L-R) Mathias Lauda, Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy

The strength of talent within the crews reflects Aston Martin Racing’s intent to hit the ground running with the new Vantage, and the seriousness with which it takes the level of competition in the GTE Pro class in the FIA WEC. The GT categories are now the most competitive with five manufacturers represented in GTE Pro.

All six drivers have played a role in the extensive development programme of the new 536 hp Vantage GTE which has now clocked up more than 10,500 miles of testing over the winter. Having focussed on durability for much of this time, the team is now working on the performance and tyre development phase of the programme ahead of the WEC Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard on April 6, 2018.

For the first time in its history, the FIA World Endurance Championship will run over a 14-month period from summer-to-summer beginning in Belgium with the TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 5 2018. It will incorporate two 24 races at Le Mans, and a return to Spa-Francorchamps in 2019, as well as a 12-hours race at the famous Sebring circuit in the USA. The series will also include six-hour events at Silverstone (GB), Fuji (J) and Shanghai (CHN).

“The evolution of the FIA WEC is moving in a great direction for manufacturers within the sport,” said John Gaw, Managing Director of Aston Martin Racing. “The GT category offers a unique, realistic, achievable and most importantly a tough contested goal for prospective manufacturers when compared to the prototype categories. You only have to look at historic battles such as at Le Mans in 2017 to see that the GT category is alive with excitement and viewers of the series are offered the opportunity to see some of the world’s top racing drivers battling it out in cars they can relate to. The new Vantage GTE replaces the previous Vantage in the PRO category for 2018. Our successes with the previous car were documented on the global stage from our first race at Sebring in 2012 through to scoring the GTE Pro class win at Le Mans in its final season. We hope to replicate this success in the car’s final year in the AM category as a fitting send-off. The new car has been very impressive in pre-season testing and that is true testament to the whole team back in the factory who have worked synchronously with the design team at Aston Martin Lagonda and we are confident the new Vantage will be a big step on from its predecessor.”

“Ever since I first drove the new Vantage GTE I’ve been looking forward to Spa,” said Darren Turner. “The car is a huge step forward from the old Vantage which already tells you a great deal considering the success of that car. The design team at Gaydon have created a fantastic new model and have seen great gains in the performance of the road car, which has given Aston Martin Racing the perfect platform to create an exceptional racing car. Every element of the car is improved and from the driver’s seat it feels like a significant step forward. It’s going to be very exciting for everyone going back to Le Mans with the new car. We couldn’t have wished for a better result last year and if we replicate that in 2018 it will be a fantastic start to the new Vantage’s racing pedigree.”

“For me driving for Aston Martin Racing is really super-great,” said Maxime Martin. “I’m coming from another manufacturer so I have experience of big teams, but Aston Martin has such a lot of history. It is a brand that is 100% dedicated to racing, so there is a lot to come and we have a bright future, especially with the new Vantage GTE. I’m really excited to see how how close the new competition will be. I worked with Alex at BMW in the N24 last year, though we were not in the same car, but the same company and I’m definitely looking forward to racing with him again. He has a lot of speed and a lot of experience in different series, just like Jonny. The only thing we are aiming for is victories and podiums, we will try to fight for the title and go for a win in one of the two Le Mans 24 Hours.”